Before Every Doctor, Psychiatrist or Psychologist / Therapist Meeting - Action Plan

Here is a good pre-meeting checklist (scientifically validated to improve your outcomes) to help you plan your visits with your psychiatrists, doctors and therapists - before your meeting. Share with your friends or other people you think have mental health concerns:

Two-Way Communication Checklist (2-COM)

We have details about this here:
http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/002917.html

This European study used the Two-Way Communication Checklist (2-COM), which is a questionnaire that was developed with the aim of improving communication between patient (who suffers from mental illness) and professionals. The 2-COM is a simple list of 20 common problems, or areas of perceived need that might be experienced by those with severe mental illness.

The list includes problems with housing, relationships, money, lack of activities, psychological distress, sexuality, symptoms and treatment side-effects. In the study, patients are provided with the 2-COM prior to seeing their doctor and given simple instructions to help with its completion, guided on indicating which of the 20 problems apply to them and highlighting things they would like to discuss with their doctor during their clinic appointment.

The authors report that using a completed checklist to guide discussion during the clinical interview extends the appointment by an average of 13 min.

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I have my first CPN meeting on thursday, and a psychiatric appointment soon after. THANK YOU!

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Hi, @SzAdmin thanks for this.Must I download it or is there a place where I can fill this online so that I can be better prepared before my psychiatris and psychologist appointment?

You have to download it and print it out - or ask someone with a printer to do that for you, and make some copies for future meetings.

Most public libraries have internet access and the ability to print these days . Sometime the printing does have a small charge. Pretty minimal though. Privacy can be a issue again pretty minimal. Although is probably better than a internet cafe or school… One option at any rate.

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Yes,privacy is really an issue for this,I am keen on printing it,maybe I do it privately when no ones around at my workplace

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I mentioned this to someone the other day, but had forgotten what it’s called!

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Is anyone using this Action/Discussion list for talking with their doctors? Is it helping? Please report back.

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Haven’t try it out yet…

I filled oui the two pages of charting and brought it to my Med Provider. She noded approvingly and put it in my file. If that’s the way she wants to play it, from now on I plan to put the date on when filling it out!

Jayster

I don’t have a printer, but I noted down the things suggested on a piece of paper. It helped quite a lot, so thanks for posting.

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A reminder to people about using this…

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Should we pin this?

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I vote for pinning it!

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by those with severe mental illness.

Seems to me “mild” might be a better word. I’m caring for a case of pretty “severe” and he couldn’t even begin to understand the questions, let alone fill out a form, or for that matter, even entertain the underlying concept.

Now, if the Doctor want’s some “real” communication, I can drag him in and we can sit there listening to him screaming like a banshee for a couple of hours.

The questions would only seem to work if one was cognitive, mostly non-delusional, and capable of considered communication. Hardly “severe”.

This is a great list. I’m taking it to my next pdoc appointment.